Hi All - newish here so please be gentle.
To cut a long story short - next door neighbour is also our tenant (DH is an accidental LL as the house couldn't be sold). They moved in last November, very pleased with house (we lived there for 8 years and left it perfect). She's very friendly with my MIL and there, I think, the problem began.
When we interviewed them they told us they had dogs but they were quiet. We also told them that DH works shifts and would appreciate peace & quiet while he's sleeping (2 days in every 8) during the day. They agreed and assured us there's be no problem.
There was. Within weeks of moving in they'd bought another dog. This dog was noisy, barking morning, noon and night. DH had seen them in the garden a few times and asked them to try to keep it quiet, then WE had complaints about the incessant barking from 2 other neighbours (we'd also had a complaint from our old neighbour that she was shouting and swearing at her kids a LOT - kids aged 6 & 8). We knocked on their door at 11 am one Saturday as both their cars were there, to tell them that we were fed up with both the dogs and the complaints. Cue fireworks. She went absolutely mental, effing and blinding. Her husband was physically trying to restrain her. She screamed at me that I was a "effing spoiled b!tch" amongst many other insults and that just rang bells in my head - I could just hear my MIL telling her this.
Upshot of all this was that they got rid of the newest dog, but one of the other, previously fairly quiet dogs had then started barking a lot. FF to April when we'd had more complaints so wrote a letter asking them to make a mutually convenient date to talk about the dogs/complaints. We put at end of letter that we were happy for the wife to be there but would not tolerate abuse or bad language. We never had a reply. Last month he complained that the shower was leaking which we had fixed within 3 days (they have 2 bathrooms so weren't without).
Shortly afterwards, her boys were playing in the garden with a variety of balls. For several days I'd asked them to be a bit more careful or to play in the park (opposite - they usually just play on the road), but they kept throwing the balls over onto our fruit plants. After throwing the ball back for the 9th time, I could see that they were having fun using me to play fetch (not fun for me as I'm on crutches). Within seconds of me turning my back, the ball was back in so I turned around and said, in a raised voice but not a shouty/aggressive tone, "Enough! I'm keeping the ball here. Send your father around to get it when he gets home." Shocked silence then they both ran back in crying (crying is a regular occurrence as the oldest hits the cr@p out of both the youngest AND the (quiet) dog). Few minutes on and she's out calling my name which I totally ignored. When DH came home that evening, her husband was waiting at the gate, complaining that I'd "shouted at them so much, they wet the bed every night" WTF? They hadn't even been sent to bed! They were playing in the street until DH came home!
Anyway (yep, the end is nigh), Saturday afternoon I was bringing washing in and glanced at her in the garden to which I had "What the EFF are you staring at, b!tch?" and I ignored. Later on, bringing more washing in, she was SCREAMING at her kids in the kitchen, effing and blinding so loud that as I turned to look I noticed my neighbour the other side looking up. She caught me looking and totally went off, "What the eff are you looking at you effing barren b!tch? You don't have any effing kids so what the eff would you know about them?" I was trying to get back into the house as quickly as possible - not so easy with crutches and a washing basket. Then, out she comes withe baby (the one that has only just come out of a 2.5 month stay in hospital in the preemie unit as her mother refused to give up smoking despite being told she'd be born early), loudly baby talking whilst effing at me at the same time.
I'd had enough and before DH came home and banned me, I called the police. The lady taking down the details seemed quite nice. She said someone would be in touch in 24 hours. Meanwhile DH comes home and starts telling me I shouldn't have involved them. They never called back so I called again next night. Got an even nicer lady who took the time to take all the background plus my background (glassed by ex step-sister/abusive ex husband who held me down for his g'friend to beat me up then broke into my locked bedroom and chainsawed my bed in half - just for starters). I have fibromyalgia and broke both my ankles in a fall a few years back - am still waiting to see a surgeon as they're still extremely painful. I've also been seeing a counsellor for 4 years as I was almost housebound with agoraphobia for 12 years - ironically, this is the first summer (hah!) I've started to venture into the garden doing normal things like hanging out washing and watching DH with his beloved fruit bushes. My anxiety is so extreme I needed Diazepam to attend my niece's wedding - the first social event I've been to for 11 years. Anyway, nice lady told me they'd get a female officer to sort it out (also intimidated around strange men).
Well, had phone call tonight from female officer saying they'd sent someone around to talk to them and put them on an anti-social behaviour register. Apparently, from what I can gather, I'm now on it, too, as they're counter-allegated. But there's no need for me to worry as it's not an ASBO.
What does this mean? I just wanted someone to go around and make her stop harassing me when I'm in the garden. Her words really, really hurt me. My MIL has apparently filled her in that we can't have kids (I come on here as I have 10 nephews and 3 nieces that I'm very close to and feel like I'm a substitute mum to at times) as I've had 7 miscarriages and was finally told that it would be impossible to carry past first trimester. I don't ever want to be called that again by anyone.
I want them gone but DH argues that they keep the place clean and pay their rent on time. He doesn't seem to see past that to the trouble they've caused. The WPC wanted to speak to him tonight about what he was going to do. I know what he's going to do - take the easiest road (which is just to shut up and put up!). He's tried to be a good LL but now is in the position of having a nagging wife (who's slowly starting to go off the rails again) and of not having a clue on how to evict them even if he wanted to!
WWYD? Would you let them stay or ask them to leave? I'm obviously hoping for some support here as I just don't think I'll ever be happy living next door to a woman like that. I kept a voice-activated recorder in my pocket when I was with my ex as the police wouldn't take me seriously until the tape caught him screaming at me that he was gonna bury a hammer in my head. I don't want to have to go back to those days - I still have nightmares NIGHTLY about him and ended up having a nervous breakdown.
Please help - I need someone to kind of read this situation for me as I have no faith in myself and if I'm overreacting. I'm starting to think that I've started to wander off the path to Sane again.
Evans
PS Didn't do a good job of cutting the long story short!